BC Provincial Election

[Canadian Blue]

Who would y'all support?

I have to admit that I'd be somewhat hard pressed to choose one party over another. While I largely reject the NDP I find many things admirable about the Conservatives when it comes to education [school choice] and the Greens when it comes to political decentralization and renewable energy. However the Greens have some idiotic policies, like removing all tasers which shows a genuine ignorance when it comes to the realities of law enforcement and use of force. While the Liberals have provided a fairly steady hand during tough economic times, I'm somewhat galled by their overturning of their balanced budget legislation which was meant for times such as these.

My vote for a provincial party would likely go to either the Greens or the Conservatives. When it comes to the referendum for STV, I would fully support the change and vote yes. I find STV to be a good balance between proportional representation and the old first past the post system.

Edited April 4, 2009 by Canadian Blue

[eyeball]

I'll vote for STV and see how that plays out.

I'd rather make sure the cart is fixed before I book on any of the horses that are attached to it.

[Sabre Rider]

The on-going BC Rail scandal and trial could do to the BC Liberals what the Sponsorship Scandal did to the Federal Liberals, blow them out of the water. Everyday we hear more and more revelations about Liberal backed interference and bribes to BC Rail Execs, and everyday this are getting linked closer and closer to Gordo's office.

Plus people outside of the GVRD and Equimalt/Victoria areas are just a wee bit pissed at the BC LINO's, errr I mean Liberals for a number of reasons, paying for the 2010 Games, school closures, cuts in local health care are just a few of them.

The only thing the BC Liberals have going for them is Carol James, leader of the BCNDP. Under her tenure, she has moved the centalist NDP of Mike Harcourt to well left of centre, perhaps too far left for most BC'ers.

I expect the Liberals will be returned to power, but with a much reduced majority and would not be all that surprised to see either a Liberal or NDP minority Government. Of course, if the lid of the BC Rail scandal blows off, then all bets are off.

[eyeball]

I expect the Liberals will be returned to power, but with a much reduced majority and would not be all that surprised to see either a Liberal or NDP minority Government. Of course, if the lid of the BC Rail scandal blows off, then all bets are off.

Whoever wins, 10$ says they win with less popular support than the the STV gets. That said 20$ says we'll be using FPTP for decades to come.

[Sabre Rider]

I find the STV a rather convoluted system, and given BC politics you can bet which ever party invokes it will set it up in favour of their party. FPTP may have its draw back, however it does keep with the KISS principle, which in politics is generally a good thing.

Edited April 4, 2009 by Sabre Rider

[madmax]

I'll vote for STV and see how that plays out.

I'd rather make sure the cart is fixed before I book on any of the horses that are attached to it.

If the parties aren't worth voting for in FPTP, they certainly are worth voting for in STV.

I hope you at least take the time to scratch the ballot for the PRovincial Election.

If the only thing that matters is STV, that is your decision. But if STV wins or fails, the rest of government continues. Why would you wait another 4 years to voice your opinion on everything else that is controlled by government?

Or will you simply become a non participant in 4 years if STV fails?

[eyeball]

Why would you wait another 4 years to voice your opinion on everything else that is controlled by government?

I can and often do voice my opinion through letters and phone calls anytime I like. Trust me, I am not lazy when it comes to politics, I'm more involved than you might think. I've been involved on local governance boards where I live for decades and I've known my riding's NDP and Liberal candidates for years.

Or will you simply become a non participant in 4 years if STV fails?

I will probably never participate in a FPTP election again other than to spoil my ballot. I think participating in them is equivalent to endorsing them.

If there is any truth to the idea that the proposal for STV in BC was prompted in part by poor voter turnout then perhaps more of the same is called for. I wonder if anyone will be tracking how many people vote for STV but decline voting for a candidate? That could be an interesting indicator of how people feel.

[Riverwind]

The on-going BC Rail scandal and trial could do to the BC Liberals what the Sponsorship Scandal did to the Federal Liberals, blow them out of the water.

How many right of center voters are likely to vote NDP because of this? I would guess between to zero and none.

[Nat]

How many right of center voters are likely to vote NDP because of this? I would guess between to zero and none.

I'll vote Green but how many will vote for Wilf Hanni's Conservative Party in the interior.

I'm voting for STV and it should be interesting to see the results this time.

[ToadBrother]

The on-going BC Rail scandal and trial could do to the BC Liberals what the Sponsorship Scandal did to the Federal Liberals, blow them out of the water. Everyday we hear more and more revelations about Liberal backed interference and bribes to BC Rail Execs, and everyday this are getting linked closer and closer to Gordo's office.

I actually doubt it. First of all, there's still no real smoking guns linking the BC Liberals themselves to it, and unless the RCMP are keen to go "Glen Clark" on Campbell's a$$ and release this kind of evidence, I don't think BC Rail is going to play that big a part in it.

Plus people outside of the GVRD and Equimalt/Victoria areas are just a wee bit pissed at the BC LINO's, errr I mean Liberals for a number of reasons, paying for the 2010 Games, school closures, cuts in local health care are just a few of them.

That may be true, but at the same time, the people outside those major urban centers (plus growing cities like Nanaimo and Kelowna) may not have the votes to really pull of any big change. For folks in Vancouver, in particular, the Olympics actually represent temporary stability in construction jobs.

The only thing the BC Liberals have going for them is Carol James, leader of the BCNDP. Under her tenure, she has moved the centalist NDP of Mike Harcourt to well left of centre, perhaps too far left for most BC'ers.

Dunno about that. Her "we're tossing the carbon tax" isn't exactly winning her kudos from the more left-leaning supporters, and there's a real danger that if she can't grab angry BC Liberal voters, she may in fact lose ground to the Greens.

I expect the Liberals will be returned to power, but with a much reduced majority and would not be all that surprised to see either a Liberal or NDP minority Government. Of course, if the lid of the BC Rail scandal blows off, then all bets are off.

There won't be a minority government in BC. The Green's will likely further erode the NDP, while the BC Liberals, with a pretty big lock on much of urban BC, will ride down the middle.

That being said, I really dislike the Liberals. I think Campbell is an autocrat and I think the caucus is filled with a whole lot of yes-men too stupid and too terrified to stand up to him. My biggest problem right now is that, while I'd probably vote NDP, I actually like the local Liberal candidate. It's a tougher choice this time around.

[ToadBrother]

I find the STV a rather convoluted system, and given BC politics you can bet which ever party invokes it will set it up in favour of their party. FPTP may have its draw back, however it does keep with the KISS principle, which in politics is generally a good thing.

Why precisely is it convoluted, unless by "convoluted" you mean "takes a calculation to figure out who wins"?

The FPTP doesn't just have drawbacks, in some ways, particularly where you have more than two parties who can get at least 10-15% of the vote, it's positively undemocratic. FPTP only works well in a two-party system, after that, it breaks down. Most ridings simply don't get won by a candidate who passes 50%.

[lasrek]

Who would y'all support?

Hi

My first post and BC Refederation Party is my choice!

L

[lasrek]

Is this forum having technical issues? I just tried posting on business and economy and got a message saying I don't have permission. It wasn't a locked topic. Also I wanted to insert a signature and got the same message in "my controls".

[catterinax]

Knowing what I know about Gordon Campbell, I feel I cannot vote for the BC Liberals. Not only has he been convicted of DUI, but a good friend of mine who knew him well during his years as mayor has told me something most disturbing about him.

My friend (who now lives abroad) although a teenager, knew Campbell quite well during his term as mayor. He was aware that she was a school age teenager and that most of her friends were the same age.

Mr. Campbell was at a community event, in his role as mayor, when he was introduced to three girls who were friends of my friend. They were around age 15-16. Mr. Campbell made a sexual invitation to the girls, knowing full well that they were high school students.

I won't add any comment to the above, but if necessary, I can contact my friend in Europe. She is willing, if necessary, to supply names.

Edited May 11, 2009 by catterinax

[ReeferMadness]

Knowing what I know about Gordon Campbell, I feel I cannot vote for the BC Liberals. Not only has he been convicted of DUI, but a good friend of mine who knew him well during his years as mayor has told me something most disturbing about him.

My friend (who now lives abroad) was working as an au pair for one of Mr. Campbell's colleagues during his term as mayor. She got to know him quite well. He was aware that she was a school age teenager and that most of her friends were the same age.

Mr. Campbell was at a community event, in his role as mayor, when he was introduced to three girls who were friends of my friend. They were around age 15-16. Mr. Campbell made a sexual invitation to the girls, knowing full well that they were high school students.

I won't add any comment to the above, but if necessary, I can contact my friend in Europe. She is willing, if necessary, to supply names.

catterinax, that's a very serious and disturbing allegation. If it were even substantiated, let alone proved, it could easily turn the election. I'm no fan of Campbell but it isn't fair to make anonymous accusations. I'm also not a lawyer but I have to wonder whether you (and possibly MLW) could find yourselves the target of a civil lawsuit.

Campbell has been premier 8 years and before that, mayor. Why didn't someone bring this forward sooner?

If you have people willing to stand behind this allegation, don't put it anonymously on a website. Take it to the media. Take it to the NDP. You may even want to take it to the police, depending of the age of the girls and the nature of the sexual advance.

[Wilber]

Knowing what I know about Gordon Campbell, I feel I cannot vote for the BC Liberals. Not only has he been convicted of DUI, but a good friend of mine who knew him well during his years as mayor has told me something most disturbing about him.

My friend (who now lives abroad) was working as an au pair for one of Mr. Campbell's colleagues during his term as mayor. She got to know him quite well. He was aware that she was a school age teenager and that most of her friends were the same age.

Mr. Campbell was at a community event, in his role as mayor, when he was introduced to three girls who were friends of my friend. They were around age 15-16. Mr. Campbell made a sexual invitation to the girls, knowing full well that they were high school students.

I won't add any comment to the above, but if necessary, I can contact my friend in Europe. She is willing, if necessary, to supply names.

RM is giving you good advice, don't make accusations like that unless you are willing to back them up in public and deal with the consequences.

[sharkman]

Knowing what I know about Gordon Campbell, I feel I cannot vote for the BC Liberals. Not only has he been convicted of DUI, but a good friend of mine who knew him well during his years as mayor has told me something most disturbing about him.

My friend (who now lives abroad) although a teenager, knew Campbell quite well during his term as mayor. He was aware that she was a school age teenager and that most of her friends were the same age.

Mr. Campbell was at a community event, in his role as mayor, when he was introduced to three girls who were friends of my friend. They were around age 15-16. Mr. Campbell made a sexual invitation to the girls, knowing full well that they were high school students.

I won't add any comment to the above, but if necessary, I can contact my friend in Europe. She is willing, if necessary, to supply names.

Yeah, I'm sure...this looks more like an NDPer trying to win an election through internet rumor. Why didn't you try a photoshopped picture of Campbell smoking pot?

Four More Years! The left tried everything including playing dirty but couldn't convince the B.C. public that they wouldn't run the province into the ground for a third time. One thing that really ticked me off was news the the Teachers union printed up some propaganda and had teachers send it home with students!

I'm also glad STV failed and with around 37% looks like it shouldn't be added to the ballot ever again.